The Los Angeles Lakers have gone 17-5 since the All-Star break, a run so dominant that even their loudest critics have started changing their tune.
Kendrick Perkins, who declared in early March that the Lakers “can’t guard senior citizens at recess,” pivoted two weeks later on ESPN: “JJ, I’m going to give you your damn flowers today. You’ve been coaching your a** off.”
The Lakers flexed that momentum and chemistry with a locker room video following their 127-113 win over Cleveland on March 31, a night that delivered milestones for just about everyone in purple and gold.
A Personal Moment for JJ Redick Lights Up Lakers’ Night of Records
The Lakers’ official X account posted the clip with a simple caption: “A night full of milestones for the squad.” In the video, JJ Redick stands before his team, ticking off accomplishments.
- Rui Hachimura hit 5,000 career points.
- Luka Dončić crossed 15,000 career points, becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant to reach the mark. He also became the 10th player ever to score 600 or more points in a calendar month.
- LeBron James, meanwhile, picked up his 1,229th career victory across regular season and playoffs, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the winningest player in league history.
From there, general manager Rob Pelinka took over. Instead of another stat, the team played a video of Redick’s sons, Knox and Kai, congratulating their father for his 100th coaching win.
The usually composed Redick paused, visibly moved, as his players watched. That victory also gave Los Angeles consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since Phil Jackson in 2010 and 2011.
Pelinka noted, “For JJ to come in the league and get back-to-back 50-win seasons, first two years as a coach, puts you in an elite, elite category,” as he handed the game ball to Redick.
A night full of milestones for the squad 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kci7M1QZRD
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 1, 2026
On a night stuffed with individual accolades, what resonated most was how the principals deflected credit. Dončić, who dropped 42 points and 12 assists, shrugged off his historic March: “If you don’t win, it doesn’t really mean anything. The run we’ve been on, it means a lot.”
Hachimura went further, openly campaigning for Dončić’s MVP case: “You can see he’s the MVP. What he brings to the game, every game, literally, and just how talented he is offensively.”
Redick, for his part, refused comparisons to Jackson and Pat Riley: “I don’t deserve to be mentioned along with Phil or Pat. I’ve got a lot left to accomplish.”
Those tales of projecting the next person up define what Los Angeles has become. A roster once written off as structurally flawed has found a pecking order and stuck to it. James leads the NBA in transition scoring at 41. Dončić operates as the clear first option. Redick holds everyone accountable.
Amid this, the real test arrives Thursday. The Lakers travel to Oklahoma City for the first of two games against the Thunder, a team that beat them twice this season. OKC sits at 60-16 and remains the prohibitive favorite. A rematch is scheduled for April 7 in Los Angeles. Those two matchups will reveal whether the Lakers are legitimate contenders or a good regular-season story waiting for playoff disappointment.
